HUMAN QUALITY OF LIFE AT THE CENTER Physical environments can either support or hinder good care and nursing. It doesn’t have to be put more complicated than that. For a long period of time, Helle Wijk has researched the importance of the physical environment on health and well-being. For her, it is a given that people’s quality of life needs to be in focus when planning, building and designing the interiors of care environments. Things have improved, but there is still a lot to do. That is the basic sentiment of professor Helle Wijk, Professor in nursing with
HELLE WIJK, Professor in nursing with a focus on care environment and care for the elderly
Healthcare Architecture at Chalmers University of Technology. “The collaboration between the Institute of Health and
a focus on care environment and care for the elderly at Gothen-
Care Sciences at the University of Gothenburg and Chalmers
burg University, regarding the situation in residential care facilities
University of Technology is a welcome one. It is a means of
in the Nordic countries.
developing the vital dialogue on nursing, architecture and design
She is seeing less and less of the institutions that were still common a couple of decades ago and more of person-centred, welcoming, homely environments. “Today, there is greater awareness that the physical
to reach decision makers,” she says. She continues: “The best quality care environment cannot be created by a single person or occupational group but instead requires
environment is part of the nursing process and that groups
collaboration supported by conscious leadership on all levels
need to work across professions to reach the joint goal of
to lay the foundation for development.”
creating the best solutions. The level of knowledge is good, but it needs to start having a bigger impact on reality,” she says.
Our basic question to Helle Wijk is how we can best go about creating sustainable, health-promoting environments for the elderly. It is a complex question containing many terms
To start with, the function and purpose of the environment should always be formulated. Health is subjectively experienced and means different things to different people. Understanding the target group, listening to the residents and involving and including all those who are impacted, are all a must.
that can be interpreted differently. A person-centric approach is Helle Wijk’s starting point: anyone can get sick, but you are never only your illness. We are all unique individuals who may fall victim to an illness or injury. This illness or injury is specific for each individual and each person is the expert of their own lives. From this point of view, many care environment factors that impact the well-being of residents, the staff's opportunities to do their work and the relatives’ perception of the home, become apparent. “To start with, the function and purpose of the environment should always be formulated. Health is subjectively experienced and means different things to different people. Understanding the target group, listening to the residents and involving and
THE RESEARCH NEEDS TO BECOME AVAILABLE TO ALL
including all those who are impacted, are all a must.”
Helle Wijk wrote in the early 2000s in her dissertation on how we perceive colour as we age. This sentiment is readily referenced
SUSTAINABLE CARE ENVIRONMENTS
when discussing the importance of the care environment for
There are a number of factors to consider when it comes
people’s health. She is also a visiting professor at the Centre for
to sustainability.
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